Springfield police: Man woke up, hit squad car

Arrest made after accident early Wednesday morning

Mar. 7, 2014

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It’s never a good idea to drink and get behind the wheel. It’s worse if police wake you up and you drive into their cruiser.

That’s what happened early Wednesday morning near the intersection of West Catalpa Street and South West Avenue, police say.

Finding a driver asleep behind the wheel of a stopped car is more common than you might think, according to Springfield police, and can result in a drunken driving citation, even if the person in the driver’s seat never moves the car, or even starts it.

Waking up startled, the driver can also create danger to officers responding.

According to an incident report, police responded to a 20-year-old male unresponsive in a car about 3:15 a.m.

When police arrived, the man woke up and drove into a police vehicle, the report says. Police say he then refused to exit his vehicle.

The man was arrested and issued a citation for driving while intoxicated.

Police spokeswoman Lisa Cox said these types of calls — which typically start as an officer “checking a person” — can be some of the most risky for officers and others involved.

“When officers go to wake someone up, there’s an element of the unknown,” she said. “They don’t know if the person is armed, if they’ll try to get away or drive toward an officer.”

Regardless of the person’s intent, he or she is typically startled to be woken up by an officer. Cox said people will sometimes panic and try to drive away.

To receive a DWI in Missouri, a person has to be in “operational control” of the vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The car doesn’t actually have to be moving — if the car is parked and running, that can be considering operational control.

Also, with some new cars having “push-button” ignitions, an officer could make a DWI arrest if he or she suspects the person was about to drive.

“Basically, stay out of the driver’s seat,” Cox said.

Officers can also make an arrest even if a person doesn’t take a Breathalyzer test.

“They just have to have probable cause that the person is intoxicated,” Cox said.

There were 1,057 DWIs in Springfield last year, and 1,411 the year before, according to police.

Statewide, there have been more than 9,000 DWI citations each of the last five years, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. More than 300 of those each year involved a crash in which a person besides the intoxicated driver was injured or killed, according to patrol statistics.

As always, police urge people to plan ahead with designated drivers or use public transportation if they’re going to be drinking alcoholic beverages.

According to the statewide “Arrive Alive” campaign, impaired driving contributes to almost 30 percent of traffic fatalities in Missouri.